Marshland restoration is underway in Barataria Basin. Lafayette Academy families are still trying to catch their breath after the district told them their school would close — and then reversed its decision. A parade celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., returned to its historic route on St. Claude Avenue this year.
Marshing Orders
To rebuild marshes in the Barataria Basin requires terraces of sand, a map of nearby orphan oil wells and miles of pipe to carry dredged river sediment to degraded wetlands.
After herky-jerky process, Lafayette Academy may stay open.
Parents and students at Lafayette Academy were put through the wringer, as the district yanked its charter, announced it would close, and then reversed that decision, with an 11th-hour proposal to direct-run the school that probably won’t be approved by the school board until late February.
Down the Drain
The Lower 9 senior center – based in Andrew “Pete” Sanchez Multi-Service Center – has the highest participation rate of any senior center in New Orleans. It’s a must-do stop for candidates running for any office. Seniors eat hot meals and compete at the center’s two tables reserved for cards: one for spades and one […]
Behind The Lens episode 227: ‘There’s no real public oversight’
Nick Chrastil on The Lens’ lawsuit against the state Office of Juvenile Justice for public records related to its $9.5m emergency staffing contract. And author Matthew Kincaid joins us to talk about his new book: Freedom Teaching.
The Lens: Why we’re suing the Office of Juvenile Justice for public records
The Tulane First Amendment Law Clinic is taking on our case to win access to public records that the OJJ says it can’t find—or is refusing to provide.
Matthew Kincaid: Strategies that Cede Power to Students
An excerpt from Matthew Kincaid’s new book Freedom Teaching.
On Saturday, MLK Parade Again Spans St. Claude Avenue
Here it comes again this year: a birthday parade for Martin Luther King Jr. that returns to its traditional route: St. Claude Avenue, starting at 11 a.m. today (Saturday, January 13). The parade’s announcement came late from organizers at Friends of King School District, who finally resolved parade-permit security a few days ago, after being […]
Behind The Lens episode 226: ‘The means to fight this’
Nick Chrastil on the federal consent decree guiding the jail’s construction of a facility called Phase III. Terry Jones from Floodlight on carbon capture and sequestration in the state.
How Phase III came to be
Though they once applauded the jail’s ambitious, federally overseen reforms, community groups and political leaders in New Orleans united in opposition to a key mandate stemming from those efforts: the construction of a $109 million mental health jail.